The workers approached CODE-CWA<\/a> for help improving their working conditions and\nchose to strike even though, as independent contractors, their action was not\nprotected under U.S. labor law. Despite the risk, they prevailed through a\nstrategic organizing effort that united the writers behind a shared set of\nconcerns. <\/p>\n\n\n\n “This group of writers\nat Voltage showed incredible courage by deciding to go on strike, and their\nunity during the 21 days they withheld their work led to unprecedented\nsuccess,” said CWA President Chris Shelton. “CWA members understand\nthe power of going on strike, and we are proud that the Voltage workers are\npart of the CWA family. Joining together to address the issues they face is the\nbest way for working people to improve their lives. The writers’ bold action is\na model for others who are ready to fight to improve working conditions in the\nvideo games industry and beyond.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n “My wage increase is\nsubstantial and I’m very pleased with it,” Frances Maples, one of the writers who went on strike, told\nVICE<\/a>. “But beyond that, this means everything to me. It got to a point\nwith our union where I felt like I wasn’t fighting for my own wages but for the\nwages of my fellow writers. In the games industry, it feels really\nhistoric.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n During the strike, over 4,000\nfans signed a petition to demand that Voltage provide fair pay to the\nLovestruck game writers. In a further illustration of the incredible support\nfor the writers, fans raised a total of $7,723 for the Voltage Organized\nWorkers Support Fund. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The CARES Act<\/em> provision that\nsaved 950,000 aviation jobs in the immediate aftermath of COVID-19 \u2013 the\nPayroll Support Program (PSP) \u2013 is set to expire in October, even though the\naviation industry’s crisis is far from over. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If the Senate does not take\naction soon, mass layoffs in the aviation industry are inevitable. The loss of\nthe PSP will be devastating to all aviation workers, including passenger\nservice agents, AFA-CWA members, their families, and our communities. Senators\nneed to hear from all of us now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Click here to send a message<\/a> to your Senators telling them\nto extend the CARES Act<\/em>\nPayroll Support Program through March 2021 to protect hundreds of thousands of\naviation jobs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n CWA members like Yasmeen\nAlston, a member of Local 3640 in Winston-Salem, are urging their Senators to\nextend the PSP program. Watch the video here<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n This week, CWAers in District\n1 held a virtual phonebank to make phone calls to Senators to urge them to\nsupport the HEROES Act<\/em>\nto provide relief to state and local government, premium pay for essential\nworkers, paid leave, strengthened OSHA protections, and funding for safer\nvoting in the 2020 elections. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This crucial bill passed the\nHouse in May, but has stalled in the Senate thanks to GOP Leader Mitch\nMcConnell, who opposes core provisions of the bill like extended unemployment\nprotections and aid for state and local governments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n CWA members have made\nthousands of calls and sent thousands of emails in support of the bill, but we\nneed to ramp up now. Call your Senators now and urge them to support the HEROES Act:<\/em>\n1-877-775-9294. <\/p>\n\n\n\n CWAers in District 1 held a virtual phonebank to call on Senators to support the <\/em>HEROES Act. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Today marks the 55th\nanniversary of the Voting\nRights Act<\/em> being signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson. The Act <\/em>removes obstacles\nand restrictions that made it harder for African-Americans to vote. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As we mark this historic\nachievement, we are facing the most important election of our lifetimes. The\nCOVID-19 pandemic is ravaging our country, and Americans are demanding justice\nfor Black lives and for stronger rights to join a union, but the Republican\npoliticians in power are failing to act to provide relief to Americans who are\nstruggling. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We need to make sure that\neveryone is able to vote safely. Many states are implementing plans to make\nvoting by mail more accessible. In response, GOP politicians see this as an\nopportunity to gut the USPS to try to rig these elections. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We must honor the\ndistinguished memory of Congressman John Lewis and the values he fought so bravely\nfor by making sure that our country has safe and accessible elections in 2020.\nNobody should have to choose between their health and casting their vote.\nCongress must allocate funding for safe elections to ensure that every American\ncan safely vote this year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Netroots Nation is the\nbiggest annual progressive conference in the United States. It enables\nthousands of people, including many union members, to connect, learn, and be\ninspired. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This year, the conference\nwill be online, and CWA’s work will be featured during several panels. District\n7 Vice President Brenda Roberts will discuss the offshoring of customer service work<\/a> and what\nkinds of trade policies are needed to keep customer service jobs in the United\nStates, while raising standards for workers across the globe. AFA-CWA\nInternational President Sara Nelson will highlight what Democrats should do to achieve big gains for workers<\/a>\nif they win control of the presidency and U.S. Senate next year. Tech and game\nworkers will talk about the tactics they’ve used to gain power in their workplaces<\/a>\nduring a panel hosted by CODE-CWA. \n\nDiscounted tickets\nare available for CWA members. Click here for more information and to register<\/a>. \n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n The podcast “Who\nIs?” has just released an episode focusing on Paul Singer, the billionaire\nhedge fund CEO behind Elliott Management’s predatory campaign to destroy\nAT&T. The podcast explores how Singer’s tactics, which include cutting jobs\nand sending work to low-wage contractors, divesting assets, and extracting cash\nfor shareholders through stock buybacks, illustrate what has gone wrong in the\nAmerican economy over the past 40 years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n “Elliott says it could\nnearly double AT&T’s stock price in the space of less than two years. How\nis it going to do that? $30 billion in stock buybacks. That’s a massive\nextraction of cash that could be invested in productive uses and in good\njobs,” said Nell Geiser, CWA’s Director of Research on the podcast. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Listen to it here<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" CODE-CWA Game Workers Win Groundbreaking Strike Writers for Lovestruck, a mobile game produced by Voltage Entertainment USA, will return to work after a groundbreaking strike that ended this week after Voltage management agreed to pay increases averaging 78% and increased … Continue reading ![\"CODE-CWA](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/can2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/data\/000\/434\/194\/original\/1_CODECWA-Voltage-Workers_600.jpg?w=640&ssl=1\")
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\n\n\n\nSenators: Extend the Payroll Support\nProgram in the CARES Act to Save Our Jobs <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Save](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/can2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/data\/000\/434\/182\/original\/2_Save_Aviation_Jobs_600.jpg?w=640&ssl=1\")
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\n\n\n\nCWAers Put Pressure on Senators to\nPass the HEROES Act <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"HEROES](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/can2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/data\/000\/434\/175\/original\/3_Virtual_Phonebank_600.jpg?w=640&ssl=1\")
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\n\n\n\nOn 55th Anniversary of Voting Rights\nAct, We Must Be Vigilant <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nCheck Out CWA’s Panels at Next\nWeek’s Netroots Nation Virtual Conference <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nWho is Paul Singer? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n